Kenny De Meirleir

Kenny L. De Meirleir, MD, PhD, is a Belgian Internal Medicine doctor specializing in ME/CFS who currently serves as the Medical Director of Whittemore Peterson Institute, Nevada. He frequently partners with numerous myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) researchers in the EU, UK, US, and Australia to further the understanding of the pathophysiology of ME/CFS. From 2000-2007, he was an editor of the now defunct research journal, Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He participated in an earlier clinical trial of Ampligen, an immunomodulator for ME/CFS.

Clinic location

Professor De Meirleir runs the Himmunitas clinic in Brussels, Belgium and the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Reno, Nevada, in the United States.

Education

(As per bio page at Whittemore Peterson Institute)

• 1970 – 1977 Medical Education, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Doctor in Medicine (Belgium), Magna cum Laude
• 1977 – 1982 Internal medicine Residency, Department of Internal Medicine, university Hospital Vrije Universiteit Brussel, under supervision of Prof. Dr. R. Six. Certification in Internal Medicine
• 1982 – 1984 Resident in Cardiology, Algemeen Ziekenhuis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, under supervision of Prof. Dr. P. Block, interrupted by military service
• 1985 Ph.D. in Physiology

Awards

• Solvay Prize
• NATO Research Award

Court case

In April 2018, Dr. Kenny De Meirleir pleaded guilty to the 2009 importation of the antiviral drug Nexavir to Belgium for use in ME/CFS and Lyme disease patients, he did not receive any sentence or fine. De Meirleir was also prosecuted for carrying out illegal experiments on humans, but was found not guilty.

Writing committees

Canadian Consensus Criteria

• 2003, Canadian Consensus Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (PDF File)
• 2003, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols (Full Text)

Pediatric case definition

• 2006, A Pediatric Case Definition for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Full Text)

International Consensus Criteria

• 2011, One of the authors of the 2011 case definition, International Consensus Criteria.

Books

• 2000, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Critical Reviews and Clinical Advances; What Does the Research Say? by Roberto Patarca-Montero and Kenny De Meirleir
• 2002, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach Edited by Patrick Englebienne and Kenny De Meirleir
• 2006, Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Kenny De Meirleir, Neil McGregor, and Elke L.S. Van Hoof
• 2011, Gezond of gezondigd? by Kenny De Meirleir and Christine Tobback

Notable studies

• 2001, A definition-based analysis of symptoms in a large cohort of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.
• 2001, G-Actin Cleavage Parallels 2-5A-Dependent RNase L Cleavage in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells—Relevance to a Possible Serum-Based Screening Test for Dysregulations in the 2-5A Pathway (Abstract)
• 2001, Interactions Between RNase L Ankyrin-Like Domain and ABC Transporters as a Possible Origin for Pain, Ion Transport, CNS and Immune Disorders of Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (Abstract)
• 2002, High prevalence of Mycoplasma infections among European chronic fatigue syndrome patients. Examination of four Mycoplasma species in blood of chronic fatigue syndrome patients (Full Text)
• 2002, Activity Limitations and Participation Restrictions in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome—Construction of a Disease Specific Questionnaire (Abstract)
• 2002, Possible Triggers and Mode of Onset of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Abstract)
• 2003, Monitoring a Hypothetical Channelopathy in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Preliminary Observations (Abstract)
• 2003, Associations between bronchial hyperresponsiveness and immune cell parameters in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (Abstract)
• 2003, Evidence for Bacterial (Mycoplasma, Chlamydia) and Viral (Human herpesvirus 6) Co-Infections in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients (Abstract)
• 2003, Comparison of Activity Limitations/Participation Restrictions Among Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients (Abstract)
• 2003, Hyperbaric Therapy in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Abstract)
• 2003, Deregulation of the 2,5A Synthetase RNase L Antiviral Pathway by Mycoplasma spp. in Subsets of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - (Full Text)
• 2003, Immunophenotyping Predictive of Mycoplasma Infection in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Abstract)
• 2003, The Symptoms and Psychiatric Status of the Bijlmermeer Plane Crash Disaster: Similarities with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Gulf War Syndrome
• 2004, The Influence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on the Personality Profile: A Case Report (Abstract)
• 2004, Association Between Fennell Phase Inventory Scores and Immune and RNase-L Parameters in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - (Abstract)
• 2004, The Fennell Phase Inventory in a Belgian Sample (Full Text)
• 2006, Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Munchausen-By-Proxy: A Case Study (Abstract)
• 2006, Antiviral Pathway Deregulation of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Induces Nitric Oxide Production in Immune Cells That Precludes a Resolution of the Inflammatory Response (Abstract)
• 2007, Physiological Responses to Arm and Leg Exercise in Women Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Abstract)
• 2007, Defining the Occurrence and Influence of Alpha-Delta Sleep in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Abstract)
• 2009, Detection of Herpesviruses and Parvovirus B19 in Gastric and Intestinal Mucosa of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients (Full Text)
• 2009, Increased D-Lactic Acid Intestinal Bacteria in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome] (Full Text)
• 2009, Severe versus Moderate criteria for the new pediatric case definition for ME/CFS (Abstract)
• 2013, Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in the Duodenum of Individuals Diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Are Uniquely Immunoreactive to Antibodies to Human Endogenous Retroviral Proteins (Full text)
• 2015, Cytokine expression provides clues to the pathophysiology of Gulf War illness and myalgic encephalomyelitis - (Full text)
• 2016, Humoral Immunity Profiling of Subjects with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Using a Random Peptide Microarray Differentiates Cases from Controls with High Specificity and Sensitivity (Full text)
• 2016, Genome-wide association analysis identifies genetic variations in subjects with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (Full text)
• 2018, Evaluation of four clinical laboratory parameters for the diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis (Full text)

Talks and interviews

Wetenschap voor Patiënten - ME/cvs Vereniging

• 2012, 01. Is ME and/or CFS a disease?/ Is ME en/of CVS een ziekte? - Prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2012, 02. Is it possible to diagnose ME/CFS? / Valt ME/CVS re diagnosticeren? - Prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2012, 03. Is ME a hereditary condition?/ Is ME een erfelijke aandoening? - Prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2012, 04. ME and sleep disorders / ME en slaapproblemen - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2012, 05. ME and Pain / ME en Pijn - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2012, 06. ME and Hormones / ME en Hormonen - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2012, 07. ME, the immune system and several viruses / ME, het immuunsysteem en diverse virussen - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2012, 08. ME, Blood Circulation and the Brain / ME, de bloedsomloop en de hersenen - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2012, 09. ME and gastrointestinal Problems / ME en maag-darmproblemen - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 10. ME, comorbidity and exclusion criteria / ME, comorbiditeit en uitsluitingscriteria - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 11. Twelve Answers to Questions - ME Irigins and Causes / Bestaan en oorzaken ME - prof. Dr. K. de Meirleir
• 2013, 12. Misdiagnosis, related Diagnosis and Tests / Verkeerde diagnoses, verwante diagnoses en testen - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 13. Sleep, Pain and Nightmares / Slaap, pijn en nachtzweten - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 14. ME and Treatment / Behandeling - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 15. ME, Remedy and Hope / Remedies en hoop - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 16. ME and Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) / Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 17. ME and the Brain / ME en de hersenen -prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 18. ME, Th1, Th2 and Th17 / ME, Th1, Th2 en Th17 - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 19. Subgroups of Patients / Subgroepen patienten - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir
• 2013, 20. Sense and Nonsense of Tests / Zin en onzin van testen - prof. Dr. K. De Meirleir

Invest in ME Conference Speeches

• 2007, Speaker at the 2nd Invest in ME International ME Conference on Treatments for ME/CFS Integrative & Complimentary Medicine - (Video)
• 2009, Speaker at the 4th Invest in ME International ME Conference on Research on Extremely Debilitated M.E. Patients Reveals the True Nature of the Disorder DVD available
• 2011, Speaker at the 6th Invest in ME International ME Conference on Clinical Diagnosis, Treatments and Trials of ME/CFS DVD available

ME/CFS Alert

• Episode 42 - Interview with Dr. Kenny De Meirleir
• Episode 43 - Interview with Dr. Kenny De Meirleir, Part 2
• Episode 44 - Interview with Dr. Kenny De Meirleir, Part 3
• Episode 45 - Interview with Dr. Kenny De Meirleir, Part 4

IACFS/ME Conference

• 2016, 12th International IACFS/ME Biennial Clinical and Research Conference, Emerging Science and Clinical Care, Paper presentation:A panel of biomarkers accurately identifies CFS/ME patients and contributes to the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disorder

Other

• 17 April 2010, Professor Kenny De Meirleir on Chronic Fatigue in Perth, Western Australia at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital

Online presence

• PubMed
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Website
• Wikipedia

Learn more

• 2007, ME/CFS & Chronic Infection of the Gut – Notes on Dr. Kenny De Meirleir’s Presentation in Perth
• 2008, Dr. Kenny De Meirleir – Man on the Move for ME/CFS
• 2009, Dr. Kenny De Meirleir
• 2013, The De Meirleir Experience

See also

Whittemore Peterson Institute

An immunomodulator is a substance that affects the functioning of the immune system

immunomodulator An immunomodulator is a substance that affects the functioning of the immune system

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

serum The clear yellowish fluid that remains from blood plasma after clotting factors have been removed by clot formation. (Blood plasma is simply blood that has had its blood cells removed.)

central nervous system (CNS) - One of the two parts of the human nervous system, the other part being the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system consists of nerves that travel from the central nervous system into the various organs and tissues of the body.

flare-up A symptoms flare in ME/CFS is a temporary increase in symptoms, alternatively known as experiencing post-exertional malaise. May be referred to as a "crash" or "collapse".

physiological Concerning living organisms, such as cells or the human body.  Physio logical (as in physio) is not to be confused with psych ological (emotional stress).

antibodies Antibody/immunoglobulin refers to any of a large number of specific proteins produced by B cells that act against an antigen in an immune response.

endogenous Growing or originating from within an organism.

cytokine any class of immunoregulatory proteins secreted by cells, especially immune cells. Cytokines are small proteins important in cell signaling that modulate the immune system. (Learn more: me-pedia.org)

genome an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes

See myalgic encephalomyelitis.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) - Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome is another term for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but one which emphasizes the immunological aspects of the disease. Popular in the 1990s, this term has apparently fallen into disuse.